Metropolitan Pavel: All Orthodox shrines must be returned to believers
Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshhorod and Chornobyl. Photo: lavra.ua
Metropolitan Pavel, abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, said that all Orthodox shrines must be returned to believers in order to stop their destruction. He said this in an address published on the YouTube channel of the Lavra on the feast day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
According to the bishop, today there is no religious freedom in Ukraine, and the churches seized from the UOC are in desolation.
“There is a temple in honor of St. Nicholas on the upper territory of the Lavra. Unfortunately, it is in disrepair now. <…> Today we are talking about religious tolerance, we are talking about religious freedom. We don't have any of that. Today, the shrines must be returned to believers. They must not be destroyed. Believers do not ask the state for money. But the shrines belong to the people of God, the believing people. They are in our country and belong to our country – they cannot belong to anyone else. But they must be used what they are intended for,” said Metropolitan Pavel.
As the UOJ reported, the head of the Ministry of Culture, Oleksandr Tkachenko, said that there would be handicrafts in the Lower Lavra once the UOC was out.
Read also
DESS challenges court ruling overturning “expert review” against UOC
According to DESS, it has filed a cassation appeal against the court ruling that annulled the order approving the UOC “expert review” and declared the service head’s actions unlawful.
Greek priest: Sad to see Orthodox Christians fighting each other in Ukraine
Fr. Georgios Katsaounis recalled the historical ties between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples and criticized the Greek Prime Minister’s statement about a “war with Russia.”
Anglican Archbishop: Ban on women's priesthood in RCC is an injustice
After her visit to the pontiff, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally touched on the topic of women's priesthood in the RCC in an interview and called the ban on it "an injustice."
Greek priest on Pope's visit to Phanar: faith must not be sold
Archpriest Georgios Katsaounis warned that in the modern ecumenical dialogue there are serious risks of diluting Orthodox dogmas.
Greek priest: The principle of papal supremacy in Catholicism is a disease
Archpriest Georgios Katsaounis stated that Western Christianity suffers from the principle of one person's supremacy, and called this a spiritual illness.
In Egypt, Coptic blogger sentenced to 5 years for videos about Christianity
A Coptic blogger was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labor under a blasphemy law for publishing a video about Christianity.